Ceiling tile system



y 1969 F. G. CACOSSA 3,456,411

CEILING TILE SYSTEM Filed NOV. 5, 1966 FIG.4

JNVENTOR. F/FA/v/r 6. 634(055/7 United States Patent 3,456,411 CEILING TILE SYSTEM Frank G. Cacossa, Livingston, N.J., assignor to The Flintkote Company, White Plains, N.Y. Filed Nov. 3, 1966, Ser. No. 591,838 Int. Cl. E04]: 5/57, 5/60 U.S. Cl. 52-483 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a ceiling tile system and to a furring strip useful in the installation of ceiling tiles in such system.

Ceiling tiles have found widespread acceptability in the construction industries as a ceiling finish. However, current methods of application require multi-step operations to properly fasten the tiles to the ceiling. Generally, furring strips are nailed to ceiling joists and the tiles are nailed or stapled to the furring strips. In order to provide blind joints without nails or staples being visible, the tiles have tongues and grooves and are generally nailed or stapled through the extended portion of the groove edge. This technique, while generally satisfactory, is time consuming because of the steps required to mount the furring strip and subsequently fasten each tile to the strip. In addition, the ceiling tiles which are so mounted have a tendency to sag and separate at the corners when installed by conventional methods.

It is an object of the invention to provide a ceiling tile system which permits ceiling tiles to be installed more readily and with less effort than is possible by use of conventional methods.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved furring strip capable of being used with conventional ceiling tiles.

It is further an object of the present invention to provide a furring strip which can be fastened directly to the ceiling joists while at the same time locks the ceiling tiles in place and prevents lateral sliding of the tiles.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a furring strip which when mounted and fastened to support ceiling tiles will minimize or eliminate the edge sagging which is common in conventionally installed ceiling tiles.

The various features of the invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the furring strip of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a tongue and groove 3,456,41 l Patented July 22, 1969 13 turned downwardly, both at right angles to the center section 11. Center section 11 has nailing holes 14 equidistantly spaced from each other so that nails or staples may be used as the fastening means.

FIG. 2 shows two adjacent ceiling tiles 15 with tongue 16 of one adapted for insertion into groove 17 of the other.

FIG. 3 shows the manner in which the invention is used to mount ceiling tiles to the joists. Furring strip 10 supports ceiling tile 15 by being inserted with the edge 13 in groove 17 of ceiling tile 15 and fastened with staple 18, placed through holes 14 and nailing flange 19 of tile 15 into the ceiling joist 20 at the points of contact between tile 15 and joist 20.

FIG. 4 shows a finished assembly with furring strip 10 mounted in position and supporting a pair of adjacent tiles. Furring strip 10 is constructed of a guage of material which permits installation without the need to subsequently force tongue 16 into groove 17 when installing the next tile. The clearance will be sufficient to permit easy and rapid insertion of the tongue edge of one tile into the groov edge of an adjacent tile.

As most ceiling tiles are 12" x 12" X 24" and ceiling joists are usually spaced apart 16 on center, some tile edges will be located so that they are not fastened directly to the ceiling joists. However, these tiles will be held rigidly in place and will exhibit no lateral or vertical movement because the furrin-g strip, due to its fit in the groove of the tile, locks the tile in place to prevent vertical movement. Lateral movement is prevented by the adjacent fastened tiles.

A feature of the invention is that headroom is not wasted as is the case in many other tile installation systems, e.g., suspended ceilings. The use of the invention permits fastening of the tiles to the ceiling joists. This system thus provides particularly desirable features in basements or other rooms having low ceilings where conservation of maximum headroom is critical in finished ceiling installations.

In installation of the system, after the first row of tiles has been installed by inserting a tongue edge of the tiles in a starter strip 22 (see FIGURE 4) which is a U-shaped channel wherein the width of the opening is approximately that of the ceiling tile to be inserted therein, and which is fastened to the ceiling joints 20 at one edge of the ceiling by nails 24 or other convention fasteners with the groove edge of the tiles facing out. A length of furring strip of 25 gauge galvanized steel, approximately six feet long, A of an inch wide in the center section with each edge about of an inch wide and having nail holes of an inch in diameter spaced of an inch apart on center the entire length of the strip, is put into groove 17 wide in conventional tiles) of the installed row of title and fastened with staples 18 through nailing flange 19 of the ceiling joists 20. The next row of tiles is then inserted in the conventional manner by inserting tongue 16 thick in conventional tiles) into groove 17 of the tiles previously fastened. The procedure is then repeated by inserting the furring strip into the groove of the second row and fastenening. The procedure is thus repeated for each row of tiles to be installed. The last row of tiles may be fastened to the joists as above or if the edge of the tiles abuts the wall, the tiles may be fastened at the edge of the ceiling with nails, staples or other common fastening means and if desired the entire system may be trimmed by use of convention moldings suitable for such purpose.

While the present invention has been described by means of the foregoing embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not restricted thereto, reference being had to the appended claims for a definition of the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A ceiling construction comprising, in combination, a plurality of ceiling support members above said ceiling, a plurality of ceiling tiles each having adjacent its upper surface, a nailing flange extending from one edge and a. correspondingly-shaped upper recess along the opposite edge, and a lower flange extending from said one edge of said title adjacent the lower surface of said tile, said lower flange having a width which is substantially less than the width of said nailing flange, and a lower recess in said opposite edge of said title, a relatively stiff elongated strip traversing the joints between adjacent ones of said tiles and covering the nailing flanges of each tile, a flange extending from one edge of said strip and extending over the outermost edges of said nailing flanges, and a plurality of fasteners, each extending through said strip and one of said nailing flanges into one of said ceiling support members, the lower and nailing flanges of said tiles being fitted into the recesses of adjacent tiles.

2. A ceiling construction as in claim 1 in which the width of the flange on said strip is approximately equal to the distance between the lower surface of said nailing flange to the upper surface of said tile at the tip of said nailing flange, and the width of said strip is approximately equal to the Width of said nailing flange.

3. A ceiling construction as in claim 1 in which said strip has a second flange extending from the other longitudinally-extending edge thereof in a direction opposite to that in which said first flange extends, said second flange having a width approximately equal to the distance between said nailing and lower flanges of said tile at the bases thereof.

4. A ceiling construction as in claim 1 in which said strip has holes regularly spaced along its length, with said fasteners extending through said holes.

5. A ceiling construction as in claim 1 including a starter furring strip of generally U-shaped cross-section along the edge of said ceiling, with one edge of the tiles in the first row of tiles in said ceiling being inserted into the U-shaped cavity of said starter strip.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,3 17,428 4/ 1943 Anderson 52-509 3,251,164 5/1966 Wright 52-496 X 3,287,871 11/1966 Korn 52-509 1,870,011 8/1932 Johnson 52-496 X 2,215,811 9/1940 Figge 52490 X 2,261,481 11/1941 Morrell 52490 X 2,328,051 8/1943 Bull 52-483 2,335,303 11/1943 Olsen 52-485 2,752,013 6/1956 Cole 52492 2,831,222 4/ 1958 Anderson 52-492 JOHN E. MURTAGH, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 52492, 509, 512 

